Many technical systems can be modelled as a collection of nodes and connections between the nodes. For example computers in an Intranet can be modelled as such a network, as can cells in a mobile phone system. In a mobile wireless network, system changes are often required to be propagated to a large number of network elements, nodes or devices. For example, a certain parameter or set of parameters of a number of cells (for example all cells under a specific base station controller) may need to be updated to the same value. Examples of these types of parameters include handover parameters, power control, and so on. Another example could be that a software patch needs to be downloaded to all nodes in a certain area. In mobile phone standards such as 2G, 2.5G, 3G based networks, parameters of tens or hundreds of cells need to be modified in this way. In a femtocell network (a femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business) this number could increase to tens of thousands or millions of nodes that need to be updated.
The propagation of changes in such a network is traditionally carried out from a central point which will communicate the changes to each and every node in the network. Centralised, transaction-oriented solutions which control configuration changes globally are available. These solutions have a number of practical difficulties owing to the scale involved. They are usually complex and time-consuming. Most of the intelligence in these systems is at the central point that is initiating the changes. In certain types of networks, the nodes are not necessarily available to receive the change when the central point wishes to make the changes. For example, in a femtocell network, the local wireless point may be switched off.